Beach safety measures announced at Tourism Ministers’ Council
Posted by editor (editor) on Jun 10 2010
2010 >>

Beach safety was a key issue discussed at the Tourism Ministers’ Council (TMC) in Canberra today.

Attending on behalf of Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor, Parliamentary Secretary Steve Wettenhall said the Queensland Government had been instrumental in getting the matter onto the national agenda.

“The safety of visitors to our beaches is paramount, and following a number of drownings earlier this year the Queensland Government has been taking pivotal measures to ensure the swim between the flags message is well understood by all visitors prior to stepping onto the sand,” he said.

“I’m pleased to announce today the TMC has agreed to a number of actions going forward, including the development and distribution of marketing materials on beach safety which will be available to visitors in eight languages.

“Distribution to Northern Australian regions will commence in May, with wider rollout occurring around September.”

He added that negotiations with a number of airlines were also underway, with a view to circulating the swim between the flags message through in-flight communication material.

“Minister Lawlor took urgent action after three people drowned in un-patrolled areas on the Gold Coast in January,” Mr Wettenhall said.

“Those tragic incidents demonstrated that the message either isn’t getting out there, or is simply being ignored.”

His comments come after another drowning occurred in an un-patrolled section of a Sunshine Coast beach yesterday.

“Losing a loved one in these circumstances is devastating for the friends and family of the victim, and a timely reminder to all beach-goers to swim only between the flags,” Mr Wettenhall said.

“The Queensland Government has been in discussions with key tourism and beach safety stakeholders since January to discuss possible actions to prevent further drownings, and one of those actions was to get the issue raised at a national level through the TMC.”

The TMC meet twice yearly to discuss issues facing the tourism industry and is attended by the Federal and State Tourism Ministers.

Mr Wettenhall said Minister Lawlor wrote to Federal Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson in January to request the matter be brought to the table at the next TMC and was pleased with the outcomes today.

“The Queensland Government has already made significant headway in gaining support from a number of organisations on this issue, through extensive involvement with Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Queensland,” he said.

“The State Government recently committed $100,000 to education and awareness activities to target multicultural communities and those visitors deemed to be most at-risk and we’re confident that a more coordinated national approach will help significantly reduce the number of deaths on our beaches.”

Last changed: Jun 10 2010 at 2:47 PM